Chelsea's starting lineup suffered a significant setback as Cole Palmer was pulled out just before the game's commencement, following Enzo Maresca's decision.

In a closely contested match at the London Stadium, Chelsea managed to secure a victory against West Ham United, despite the absence of their talismanic midfielder, Cole Palmer.

Cole Palmer, who has been instrumental in Chelsea's offensive lineup, was forced to miss the match due to an injury sustained during the warm-up. His absence was felt keenly by former Liverpool midfielder and current talkSPORT pundit, Danny Murphy, who expressed his sympathy for Palmer's situation. Murphy stated that missing a match due to injury, especially at the last minute, is one of the worst feelings in the world.

In Palmer's place, teenage player Estevao was included in the starting line-up. The youngster had a mixed performance, making an error that led to a disallowed goal for West Ham, but he also assisted a goal for Enzo Fernandez, atoning for his earlier mistake.

West Ham took the lead in the first half with a goal from Lucas Paqueta. However, Chelsea responded brilliantly in the second half, with Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah scoring goals to turn the tide in favour of the visitors. Pedro added a third goal to put Chelsea ahead, and Joao Pedro scored the first goal for Chelsea in the Premier League, ensuring a hard-fought victory for the London club.

Despite the strong offensive display by Chelsea, Murphy expressed concern that they might struggle to score without Palmer. He mentioned that he had experienced a similar situation only a few times in his career. However, the young players stepped up to the plate, showing that they are capable of filling the void left by their injured teammate.

In the end, Chelsea's resilience and determination paid off, as they secured an important win against a tough West Ham United side. The search results do not provide information about which player replaced Cole Palmer as the top scorer and creative player for Chelsea in the match, but it is clear that the young players are capable of stepping up to the plate when needed.

Chelsea's starting lineup suffered a significant setback as Cole Palmer was pulled out just before the game's commencement, following Enzo Maresca's decision.